In one embodiment, power level management in accordance with the present description, is provided in a storage unit having both a disk storage drive, and another non-volatile, non-disk memory or storage such as a solid state drive, for storing metadata. The metadata storage provides direct access to the metadata stored in the non-disk storage even though the disk storage drive may be in a low power mode in which the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is stopped or spinning at a reduced rate of rotation. As a result, power consumption and cooling requirements associated with disk storage drives, may be reduced in a low power level mode of storage unit operation for input/output operations limited to metadata stored in the metadata storage. Other features and aspects may be realized, depending upon the particular application.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system, comprising: a data storage system having a storage controller and at least one storage unit controlled by the storage controller and configured to store data, wherein the storage controller has a processor and a cache, and wherein the storage unit has an input, a metadata storage configured to store metadata and a disk storage drive having a data storage media disk configured to store data; and a computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor of the storage unit to cause storage unit processor operations, the storage unit processor operations comprising: transferring metadata between a storage unit input and a metadata storage of the storage unit in a first power level mode in which reading data from and writing data to a data storage media disk of a disk storage drive of the storage unit is disabled; receiving an input/output request to write data directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive; in response to the input/output request, changing a power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to a second power level mode wherein the second power level mode has a higher level of power expenditure as compared to the first power level mode; and transferring write data from the storage unit input to the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive in the second power level mode in which reading data from and writing data to the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is enabled.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is configured to rotate at a first rate of rotation in the first power level mode and is configured to rotate at a second rate of rotation in the second power level mode wherein the first rate of rotation is less than the second rate of rotation of the data storage media disk and wherein the first rate of rotation is within a range which includes zero revolutions per minute.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the storage unit processor operations further comprise: receiving an input/output request directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive in which the storage unit is in the first power level mode and reading data from and writing data to a data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is disabled; and in response to the input/output request, changing a power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to the second power level mode, including increasing a rate of rotation of the data storage media disk from the first rate of rotation of the first power level mode to the second rate of rotation of the second power level mode, and executing the input/output request in the second power level mode following changing the power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to the second power level mode wherein executing the input/output request in the second power level mode includes at least one of reading data from and writing data to the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein the storage unit processor operations further comprise: in response to changing the power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to the second power level mode, timing a grace period of disk idle time; determining whether at least one additional input/output request directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is received within the grace period of disk idle time; and upon expiration of the grace period of disk idle time, if it is determined that no additional input/output request directed to a storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is received within the grace period of disk idle time, changing the power level mode of the storage unit from the second power level mode back to the first power level mode, including decreasing the rate of rotation of the data storage media disk from the second rate of rotation of the second power level mode back to the first rate of rotation of the first power level mode.
5. The system of claim 3 wherein the input/output request directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is directed to data which includes non-metadata.
6. The system of claim 2 wherein the storage unit processor operations further comprise: receiving an input/output request directed to the metadata storage of the storage unit in which the storage unit is in the first power level mode and in which reading data from and writing data to a data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is disabled; and in response to the input/output request directed to the metadata storage, maintaining a power level mode of the storage unit at the first power level mode, including maintaining a rate of rotation of the data storage media disk at the first rate of rotation of the first power level mode of the storage unit, and executing the input/output request directed to the metadata storage in the first power level mode of the storage unit.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the input/output request directed to the metadata storage of the storage unit is directed to data limited to metadata and wherein the metadata storage is one of non-volatile storage, non-volatile solid state memory, non-volatile flash memory and volatile memory having a backup battery power source.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer program product further comprises a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith and executable by a processor of the storage controller to cause storage controller processor operations, the storage controller processor operations comprising: assigning first logical storage addresses of a logical storage address space to physical data storage locations of the metadata storage and assigning second logical storage addresses of the logical storage address space to physical data storage locations of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive wherein the second logical storage addresses of the logical storage address space are separate from the first logical storage addresses of the logical storage address space.
9. The system of claim 1 further comprising receiving a metadata input/output request from one of a processor external to the storage unit and a processor internal to the storage unit wherein transferring metadata between the storage unit input and the metadata storage of the storage unit in the first power level mode is in response to a received metadata input/output request.
10. A computer program product for use with a storage unit having a processor wherein the computer program product comprises a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor of the storage unit to cause processor operations, the storage unit processor operations comprising: transferring metadata between a storage unit input and a metadata storage of the storage unit in a first power level mode in which reading data from and writing data to a data storage media disk of a disk storage drive of the storage unit is disabled; receiving an input/output request to write data directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive; in response to the input/output request, changing a power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to a second power level mode wherein the second power level mode has a higher level of power expenditure as compared to the first power level mode; and transferring write data from the storage unit input to the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive in the second power level mode in which reading data from and writing data to the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is enabled.
11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is configured to rotate at a first rate of rotation in the first power level mode and is configured to rotate at a second rate of rotation in the second power level mode wherein the first rate of rotation is less than the second rate of rotation of the data storage media disk and wherein the first rate of rotation is within a range which includes zero revolutions per minute.
12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the storage unit processor operations further comprise: receiving an input/output request directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive in which the storage unit is in the first power level mode and reading data from and writing data to a data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is disabled; and in response to the input/output request, changing a power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to the second power level mode, including increasing a rate of rotation of the data storage media disk from the first rate of rotation of the first power level mode to the second rate of rotation of the second power level mode, and executing the input/output request in the second power level mode following changing the power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to the second power level mode wherein executing the input/output request in the second power level mode includes at least one of reading data from and writing data to the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive.
13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the storage unit processor operations further comprise: in response to changing the power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to the second power level mode, timing a grace period of disk idle time; determining whether at least one additional input/output request directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is received within the grace period of disk idle time; and upon expiration of the grace period of disk idle time, if it is determined that no additional input/output request directed to a storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is received within the grace period of disk idle time, changing the power level mode of the storage unit from the second power level mode back to the first power level mode, including decreasing the rate of rotation of the data storage media disk from the second rate of rotation of the second power level mode back to the first rate of rotation of the first power level mode.
14. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the input/output request directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is directed to data which includes non-metadata.
15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the storage unit processor operations further comprise: receiving an input/output request directed to the metadata storage of the storage unit in which the storage unit is in the first power level mode and in which reading data from and writing data to a data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is disabled; and in response to the input/output request directed to the metadata storage, maintaining a power level mode of the storage unit at the first power level mode, including maintaining a rate of rotation of the data storage media disk at the first rate of rotation of the first power level mode of the storage unit, and executing the input/output request directed to the metadata storage in the first power level mode of the storage unit.
16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the input/output request directed to the metadata storage of the storage unit is directed to data limited to metadata and wherein the metadata storage is one of non-volatile storage, non-volatile solid state memory, non-volatile flash memory and volatile memory having a backup battery power source.
17. The computer program product of claim 10 further for use with a data storage system having a storage controller, wherein the storage unit is controlled by the storage controller wherein the storage controller has a processor and wherein the computer program product further comprises a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith and executable by a processor of the storage controller to cause storage controller processor operations, the storage controller processor operations comprising: assigning first logical storage addresses of a logical storage address space to physical data storage locations of the metadata storage and assigning second logical storage addresses of the logical storage address space to physical data storage locations of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive wherein the second logical storage addresses of the logical storage address space are separate from the first logical storage addresses of the logical storage address space.
18. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising receiving a metadata input/output request from one of a processor external to the storage unit and a processor internal to the storage unit wherein transferring metadata between the storage unit input and the metadata storage of the storage unit in the first power level mode is in response to a received metadata input/output request.
19. A method, comprising: transferring metadata between a storage unit input and a metadata storage of a storage unit in a first power level mode in which reading data from and writing data to a data storage media disk of a disk storage drive of the storage unit is disabled; receiving an input/output request to write data directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive; in response to the input/output request, changing a power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to a second power level mode wherein the second power level mode has a higher level of power expenditure as compared to the first power level mode; and transferring write data from the storage unit input to the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive in the second power level mode in which reading data from and writing data to the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is enabled.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is configured to rotate at a first rate of rotation in the first power level mode and is configured to rotate at a second rate of rotation in the second power level mode wherein the first rate of rotation is less than the second rate of rotation of the data storage media disk and wherein the first rate of rotation is within a range which includes zero revolutions per minute.
21. The method of claim 20 further comprising: receiving an input/output request directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive in which the storage unit is in the first power level mode and reading data from and writing data to a data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is disabled; and in response to the input/output request, changing a power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to the second power level mode, including increasing a rate of rotation of the data storage media disk from the first rate of rotation of the first power level mode to the second rate of rotation of the second power level mode, and executing the input/output request in the second power level mode following changing the power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to the second power level mode wherein executing the input/output request in the second power level mode includes at least one of reading data from and writing data to the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive.
22. The method of claim 21 further comprising: in response to changing the power level mode of the storage unit from the first power level mode to the second power level mode, timing a grace period of disk idle time; determining whether at least one additional input/output request directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is received within the grace period of disk idle time; and upon expiration of the grace period of disk idle time, if it is determined that no additional input/output request directed to a storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is received within the grace period of disk idle time, changing the power level mode of the storage unit from the second power level mode back to the first power level mode, including decreasing the rate of rotation of the data storage media disk from the second rate of rotation of the second power level mode back to the first rate of rotation of the first power level mode.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein the input/output request directed to a data storage location of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is directed to data which includes non-metadata.
24. The method of claim 20 further comprising: receiving an input/output request directed to the metadata storage of the storage unit in which the storage unit is in the first power level mode and in which reading data from and writing data to a data storage media disk of the disk storage drive is disabled; and in response to the input/output request directed to the metadata storage, maintaining a power level mode of the storage unit at the first power level mode, including maintaining a rate of rotation of the data storage media disk at the first rate of rotation of the first power level mode of the storage unit, and executing the input/output request directed to the metadata storage in the first power level mode of the storage unit.
25. The method of claim 24 wherein the input/output request directed to the metadata storage of the storage unit is directed to data limited to metadata and wherein the metadata storage is one of non-volatile solid state memory, non-volatile flash memory and volatile memory having a backup battery power source.
26. The method of claim 19 further comprising assigning first logical storage addresses of a logical storage address space to physical data storage locations of the metadata storage and assigning second logical storage addresses of the logical storage address space to physical data storage locations of the data storage media disk of the disk storage drive wherein the second logical storage addresses of the logical storage address space are separate from the first logical storage addresses of the logical storage address space.
27. The method of claim 19 further comprising receiving a metadata input/output request from one of a processor external to the storage unit and a processor internal to the storage unit wherein transferring metadata between the storage unit input and the metadata storage of the storage unit in the first power level mode is in response to a received metadata input/output request.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
May 11, 2018
July 21, 2020
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.